Mr. Ian Carter:

Globally, it is probably both. There is a bed planning exercise to be done. One would argue that the current configuration of beds within my group or nationally in the current model is insufficient. The exercise that has not been done is asking how many beds are needed for a more community orientated service.

In terms of the current model, at a simple level, there is a normal maxim that is used. Hospital beds, to operate efficiently, should operate somewhere between 85% and 88% full capacity as they can cope with peaks and troughs. Most of the hospitals here operate at more than 95% and their ability to cope with peaks and troughs is nil. There are not enough beds in the existing model because there are not enough beds as opposed to purely a staffing issue.